I like Conan O'Brien

I like him more than Jay Leno but I must be one of a few. The statement linked below from him is very interesting, in it he reminds us all about the legacy of The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson, and the impact it might have on the show to start at midnight. I think he makes a compelling argument not to change the time it airs.

Conan O’Brien Says He Won’t Host ‘Tonight Show’ Following Leno

Dubai Tower - 2,717 Feet

Wow...what looks odd to me is that the skyline is pretty much flat with a few exceptions, but this tower is just beautiful.

Economy Is Down, but Dubai Tower Tops All

I Love Photographs

The New York Times article Documenting the Decade: 10 Years of Readers Photographs has some beautiful shots, unfortunately the story they tell of the decade is full of sadness. However there certainly are high points like the section from 2008 when Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States.

My favorite photo is a picture of a Coronet 500 from a parade in July 2009. I would post it but the link is not available. Wow, look at that blue!

Happy 2010 to All!

Time off

I am off the rest of the week for the holiday and am loving it! I love my job but it has been very busy and difficult, because of this I enjoy time off even more than before. I just need the break.

I have holiday shopping to do which I think will be fun, lets see how busy the mall can be on Christmas Eve. Good luck with your shopping and such!

Help

You may have noticed that I have not be able to post recently, I am much busier than usual and many times by the evening the last thing I want to do is look at a computer. But I love my blog so I am looking for guest posters to help fill in the space. If you think you would like to give it a go and blog on my site now is the time to let me know.

Some recent thoughts:

How the heck does a couple not on the invite list get into a White House state dinner? This should be impossible, it reminds me of the man who walked freely into Buckingham Palace and talked to the Queen of England.

What is going on with Tiger Woods and the car accident. This may be cynical but maybe his wife was actually attacking him with the golf club. What irony. :)

For local folks:

The Buffalo Bills beat Miami - now that is how it should go!

The early part of yesterday was a beautiful day in Buffalo, I took a walk in Delaware Park behind the Albright Knox Art Gallery and could not help but notice how nice the park looked. You can tell that attention is being paid to the Rose Garden and the areas for kids to play, I saw new park benches and people just enjoying the atmosphere. Way to go Buffalo Parks or is that the county, I can't remember.

I was also fortunate enough to go to the Burchfield/Penny Art Center for a visit. The whole gallery collection has changed since the last time I went to the gallery five or six months ago. For those of you Christmas shopping the gallery store has great options for gifts.

Health Care Reform

Two thoughts about health care reform:

Is it possible that the Republicans who have not supported health care reform will pay with lost votes back home? It is not just Democrats in the country that want change.

Because of her willingness to vote for the bill is Olympia Snowe The Last Sane Republican?

Smartest Cities

From The Daily Beast a list of what they believe to be the 55 smartest cities in the country. Of course my city did not make the list which surprises or maybe does not surprise me. Anyway the criteria they use is interesting, they consider items like number of college degrees of residents, non-fiction book sales, political engagement. I am not sure how scientific it is but it was an interesting read, number one is Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

Americas Smartest Cities-From First to Worst

Has it really been over a month since I posted?

I guess so, I still see interesting things but wish I had more time to surf and post. Here is was has caught my eye recently:

This is depressing - Alternative Energy Projects Stumble on a Need for Water

Have you been watching the PBS mini series The National Parks: America's Best Idea? It consists of six, 2 hour episodes and tells the history of our national parks. It started Sunday night and airs every night from 8-10:00 till Friday. It has been fascinating to watch and makes me glad I have both a high definition TV and FiOS!

I have also been sucked into another FX show, Sons of Anarchy. What am I a closet biker? The characters are interesting and so is the dialog. I recently read that the major networks are making less and less dramas because of the cost. To keep competitive they keep recycling shows (NBC with 2 nights of SNL) and/or creating more reality shows. What this means for me is that I watch other networks who have dramas. How can FX create dramas and make money but the major networks are not able to do so?

Do you see those very small people in the lower part of the picture, I hope that is me in April.

A Honda Chopper?

Yep, that's a Honda!

A Chopper in Looks but a Honda Inside

The Lockerbie Bomber part 2

It may be that I was very naive about the truth behind the release of the Lockerbie bomber.

"Nobody has yet proved that the British government struck a deal with Tripoli—the return of the bomber for lucrative contracts with the oil-rich Libyans—but the circumstantial evidence that something was going on behind the scenes is growing daily. There is a bad smell in London that no amount of official spin can dissipate—and the cast of characters that might have been involved in any deal would not be out of place in a Bond movie".

Why the Lockerbie Bomber Was Freed

Interesting article about heatlh care around world

Opinion piece from Noble Prize winner in Economics Paul Krugman

"Let’s talk about health care around the advanced world. Every wealthy country other than the United States guarantees essential care to all its citizens. There are, however, wide variations in the specifics, with three main approaches taken."

The Swiss Menace

Lockerbie Convict Release

I am not sure how I feel about the release of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing. On the one hand he showed no compassion for his 270 victims, on the other hand have we become like him if we do not show compassion? Is his release a lesson for us all?

Scotland Lets Lockerbie Convict Return to Libya

8/21 - The hero's welcome for this convict has me both angry and discouraged, taking the moral high ground can be very trying.

Worried

This whole summer break and health care reform has me worried. The tone of the conversation has changed to anger and the voices that seem to be missing from the conversation are those who support some type of universal coverage. The missing voice is from those who voted Obama and many other democrats into office.
I do not know the best way to provide coverage for those in our country who can not afford it but surely there are few among us who believe it is OK for them to go without a basic need like this.

We can afford universal health care coverage

and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

"The Congressional Budget Office has looked at the future of American health insurance, and it works."

HELP Is on the Way

So very busy lately

Random thoughts:

The long 4th of July weekend tired me out.

I am still shocked by the attention Michael Jackson is getting. I am also shocked that in a news clip this morning I saw his young daughter on stage at the funeral, who puts a 10 year old on stage just after they have lost their father?

I wish it were just a little warmer here in Buffalo.

Feeling age catching up with me, parents and aunts getting older and in some cases sick.

Trying to think of a good spot for a cheap late summer vacation.

Have you been watching Nurse Jackie on Showtime? OMG - this show can make me laugh and cry.

How about Rescue Me on FX? This has the makings of a Showtime or HBO series and it makes me laugh too.

I am looking forward to attending a lecture this evening called Design Matters from a UB School of Architecture and Planning professor. The lecture is part of the UB This Summer program, and is FREE!